Potions, Scars, and Guessing Games
by woodenseahorses
Summary: Lily keeps having incidents in Potions class, and as a result, she learns something quite interesting about James.


Severus and Lily thought that they could remain Potions partners during their sixth year, the year after the incident, but really, this was very much equivalent to the idea of "still being friends" after a particularly bad break up.

* * *

They worked in silence now, communicating with grunts and nods and their eyes. Lily's eyes always broadcasted pity, with the occasional touch of anger, while Severus' tried to say "speak to me when we're not surrounded by people" but Lily could only read shiftiness because a summer without much contact has robbed her of her most practiced ability.

* * *

Half a year passed and by this point, both could no longer stand what they saw in the other's eyes. They began to spend more time with their noses in their Potions books and paid even more attention to the preparation of the ingredients than they had in the past. However, they did this as quickly as possible, as though this would hasten the class, and without really paying attention to what the other was doing.

Their new working habits caused their marks to suffer. Ingredients were practically thrown into the cauldron, and potions often splashed out and dried crusty on the table. This new carelessness came to a head one day when Severus failed to notice that Lily had already added her powdered root of asphodel to their Draught of Living Death and added another one hundred and fifty ounces of his own. The result was a bright purple smoke that filled the room and knocked out some of the lighter sixth years in the room. Everyone who was present smelt like heady flowers for a week.

* * *

Lily wasn't all that surprised, just grateful, when the next Potions class Professor Slughorn suggested that they "shake things up a bit and try something new" with a too happy grin on his face.

"Alright everyone, gather your things, go stand in the back of the room, and Lily, why don't you sit here," he pointed towards the table right in front of his desk, and Lily responded with a tight lipped smile. "And as for your new partner…"

As Slughorn trailed off, scanning the room, Sirus' heel came down hard, harder than any accident, on James' toes. "Ah! You little…"

"Ah, Potter, you'll do. Go take your things and sit by Lily." With one more glare in Sirus' direction, James complied and slumped in the seat next to Lily's.

"Potter." Lily nodded and repeated her tight lipped smile.

"Evans." James nodded back, but his smile was slightly wider. "Class is gonna be a riot now—so long as you take my lead. Don't want to have a repeat of yesterday, my lucky socks smell like flowers now and I can't wash 'em, I mean really-"

Lily glared. "Shut it Potter." They had been on speaking terms for a few months now, mainly because sixth year left them with little energy for wit. Even so, Lily wouldn't have her potions skills knocked, especially for something that wasn't _really _her fault. "Severus was the one that added the second helping of the asphodel anyways…" James' eyebrows shot up, but he did keep shut.

* * *

The next few weeks of Potions classes went without incident for Lily. The pair of them were able to communicate more effectively than Lily and Severus had in the classes previous, and her grade returned to normal. She ignored Severus and made small talk and jokes with James, Remus, and Peter, who sat at the table right behind hers and James'.

Her strategy of never looking Severus' way was shot one day when Lily overheard Severus laughing with two other seventh years she only recognized by face, not name. She caught snippets of sneered words, "mudbloods," and "I know," and "filthy," and "steal."

Lily huffed and walked faster but with her head high. To talk of those things, so openly, in the hall, not caring… She turned to Marlene. "I can't believe him. You think five odd years of knowing me would be enough to convince him that 'my kind' isn't bad and that were able to come across magic as legitimately as any fullblood-for Merlin's sake he isn't even one..."

"I know Lils. It's awful it really is. He's just a coward, don't let it get under your skin. He's not worth it." As many times as she had said it before, Marlene was somehow able to ensure her words held sympathy each time. However, for Lily, the novelty of sympathy had mostly worn off. She sat down at her Potions table with a loud thump and began to pull things out of her bag and drop them violently on the table.

James looked at her sideways. "Y'alright there?"

"Smashing." she dropped another book for emphasis.

He just nodded and went to the back of the room to get the ingredients they'd need.

Lily remained "smashing" all class, cutting her ingredients with great force, chucking them in their cauldron from afar. She'd stop what she was doing every time she heard Severus laugh to give a derisive sniff of her nose and flick her hair out of her eyes. Close to the end of class, Severus and his surrounding house mates let out the loudest and most grating laugh yet and Lily's whole body tensed. Then came the tinkling of glass and she felt a pinch.

She had been holding a test tube full of some part of the incomplete potion in her fist, and now blood and half-finished potion mixed and ran down her arm. Lily stared. James took action. "Er, Professor, Lily seems to of ah well, cut herself on some test tube."

Slughorn sort of waddled over, took one look at Lily's hand and promptly turned away. "Oh, that's going to have glass in it and that's not really my strength, not at all Ms. Evans. You're going to want to take that to the Hospital Wing, Potter, would you be so kind to as escort her there, please. Oh my…"

* * *

They made it up the first flight stairs fine, but on the second set Lily started to sway. She couldn't do much in the way of balance either, as her uncut hand cradled the one that was stinging and possibly beginning to look a bit orange with a touch of pus.

"Uh, Lily, y'alright? I…here-" James wondered, waist or shoulders-waist would probably be better for support, but shoulders were probably safer, what with her mood and all-and he wrapped his long arm down around her shoulders to make sure she wouldn't fall.

Lily spoke through clenched teeth. "I'm fine, it just feels like-ah-there's a lot of hornets-ah-buzzing around-Merlin's beard-I've got it James, really!" She made a feeble attempt to pull her shoulders away, but the small movement caused colors to swim before her eyes, and it was better, safer, really, this way she thought.

James looked down and over at her hand and gave his own wince. "Yikes. Hmm. Bet that'll scar. Ooh you'll look so tough, Evans."

"Of course it will scar, don't act like it's so surprising. I don't care, they're like tattoos but with better stories, that's what mum always said. Ah-I just want it to stop the stinging!"

"Hm, best tell that to Sirus then, perhaps that'll talk him out of that, probably not though—anyways, blimey Evans, have you not gotten a single cut all six years?!"

"Of course I have, just not a big enough one to justify going all the way up to the Hospital Wing."

James laughed as they walked into the Hospital Wing. Madame Plumpton shouted from a back room that she'd be with them in a minute. They could hear the distinct sound of retching while she shouted, so James and even Lily were fine with her taking her time. James had Lily sit down on a hospital bed, and he sat on the corner.

"Then you wouldn't really realize, now would you-you see, most of the time, when someone like us gets a cut, a spell or a potion is normally enough to heal it up quickly, and without evidence in form of a scar. But then when the cut is magically inflicted, or gets magic in it-the potion in your cut, for example, it's not a healing potion, so- or if you take too long to get to the cut, then it'll scar. Goodness, and you're supposed to be one of the brightest witches in our year, I worry for our generation…"

Lily just stuck her tongue out, too distracted by pain to be witty. "So you're telling me that most wizards-ah-don't have scars-ah-that's ridiculous!"

"I didn't say that Evans. Here, look." He turned around, now sitting on the hospital bed with his back facing her. He fully untucked the shirt that was already half untucked from his waistband and pulled it up so the lower corner of his left back was showing.

Lily breathed in quickly, but it was less to do with pain this time and more to do with the slight muscles she could see just under the surface of his skin. It took her a moment to realize she was supposed to be looking for a scar. It was a tad longer than her palm, with the slightest curve to it-no wait, it was longer than her palm because it extended down, into his pants. She wanted to trace it lightly with her fingers.

"Alright deary, what seems to be the problem today?" Lily jumped as Madame Plumpton strode in loudly. James let his shirt drop and stood up.

"I guess I'll be going then—"

Madame Plumpton examined Lily's palm closely, wrinkling her nose. "Oh, no, she'll probably want you to stay, to talk to as I take care of it. She's going to want to be distracted, trust me."

Lily sighed and James sat on the edge of the bed again and Madame Plumpton took out her wand.

"So-oi! So how'd ya get that scar, Potter?"

James smiled. "Guess."

"Seriously, you're going-ah-to have me play guessing games right now?!"

"I'm supposed to keep you distracted Evans."

James didn't know just how distracted Lily was right now, thinking of that scar that disappeared into the waistband of his pants. She rolled her eyes the best she could. "Quidditch-ow ow o wow."

Bandages appeared around Lily's hand. "You're done deary. And speaking of scars, you'll probably have one yourself, just a slight one." James mouthed 'told you.' The pair of sixth years stood up and began to walk out. "Ah ah ah no. Now you, Mr. Potter, you're not going to let this lady here fall down a flight of stairs! You put your arm around her waist and walk her to her dormitory so she can rest! She'll be tired for a while."

James complied, cautiously, and Lily no longer felt a tingling in her hand. It had moved down, to her waist, to her stomach. She didn't quite know how to feel about it.

"Quidditch, really? You think that that's the only dangerous thing I do? And really, Evans, what is sharp enough in _Quidditch_ to leave a mark like that?"

"Just tell me, Potter."

"No, not until you guess it right. And let me tell you right now, you're never, ever going to guess right." He stared directly at her and wiggled his eyebrows in challenge.

"You're impossible."

"I know."

* * *

Days went by, weeks, and still Lily could not guess correctly. It became their Potions class game.

"A childhood incident?"

"Much to general. Guess again."

"Uh, your owl?"

"Mable?! Why she's a sweetheart, she would never!"

"Charm gone wrong?"

He just laughed.

"Is that a no?"

He laughed harder.

"Fine, I'll call that a no."

Many, many Potions classes were spent this way, and every time James got up to get ingredients or bent over his bag, Lily would be staring at the left-hand side of his lower back. For research, obviously.


End file.
